The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) has decided to abandon plans that would have made the Ghana Card the exclusive identity document for voter registration. This decision was made at an Inter-Party Advisory Committee meeting in Accra, chaired by EC Chairperson Jean Mensa.
The EC’s initial proposal aimed to introduce a new Constitutional Instrument (CI) for the December 7 general elections, which would have eliminated the use of passports and the guarantor system for voter registration. The EC argued that the guarantor system was outdated and unable to ensure a credible and reliable voter registration database.
However, the proposal faced strong opposition, with critics accusing the EC of using the reform to benefit the ruling party. Members of Parliament also opposed the move, arguing that it would disenfranchise many potential voters, especially considering the challenges citizens face in obtaining the Ghana Card.
According to the Ghana National Identification Authority, only about 17.8 million Ghanaians have registered for the Ghana Card, with less than 17.1 million having collected it, despite the country’s estimated population of close to 34 million.
In response to the backlash, the EC has decided to maintain the use of indelible ink for manual fingerprinting as an alternative for biometric voter verification. This decision follows earlier concerns raised by the opposition regarding a proposal to replace manual fingerprinting with electronic biometric verification.
The reversal of the decision regarding the Ghana Card underscores the importance of inclusive and accessible voter registration processes, ensuring that all eligible citizens have the opportunity to participate in the democratic process.
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- Tags: Election, Ghana, voter's card
